My son Isaac recently graduated from kindergarten and his school, run by a Chinese church, organised a graduation concert.

"Make sure you are free on Friday evening, ah. Don't make any work and gaming plans for that day, ok?" The wife said. "He is performing at the concert and you cannot miss it."

Of course I was not going to miss this. How could the wife even think that I would forget an important date like this?

I quickly called off a session of LAN gaming with the mates.

The original plan was for just the wife and I to attend the event together, to keep things simple. My dad had his Friday evening plans, my mom was overseas, and we thought it best to leave Faith and Joy at home with the helpers.

Then my dad said he was able to make it after all, and the wife suddenly felt bad excluding Isaac's older sister and younger sister, and the helpers who look after my brood and who adore him to bits. And that was how a simple event became a village outing for our clan.

My job was to drive Isaac to school an hour earlier in his shiny green costume ($36, the wife told me she paid for, hint hint), so that his teacher could prepare the performers. Then I was to circle back to pick the rest of them up an hour later. The kindergarten was just two bus stops away. A simple enough plan except it began to rain buckets just before I was supposed to move out.

When I say buckets, I mean the kind of bucketful rain that creates flash floods. The entrance to our HDB car park was swirling with water, and so was the entrance to the church kindergarten. I felt like Noah driving his Ark of one animal (my son) to the Promised Land (I may have mixed up Bible stories here).

After fighting my way through the line of parents also trying to drop their little performers off at the sheltered area of the church car park, I braved the rain again to pick up the rest of my troops. I picked them up at the sheltered drop-off point of our HDB car park while cursing at the jerk who PARKED his car at the sheltered area for his convenience. I was a very cranky Noah and felt like scratching his car with my Ark.

Then back to the kindergarten I went, with two helpers, a grandfather, a mother, and two daughters in the tiny car that belonged to my mom, driving in more rain.

No rain, flood or not, was going to stop Isaac's entourage from attending his first graduation. His first Graduation of Them All. We sat in the second floor gallery of the church hall and the concert began.

Every class had an item. It could be a song, or a dance, or a little play. One class had to act out the story of Zacchaeus the Tax Collector, narrated in Chinese. You know, the guy who climbed a tree to see Jesus, and then ended up having a meal with him and giving everyone their money back and more. Probably the most expensive celebrity dinner anyone ever paid for.

The kids were fabulous in that Zacchaeus sketch. They wore the costumes and did their parts so well, acting to pre-recorded narration and voice-acting. The only disconcerting thing was when 'Zacchaeus' spoke, a booming adult male voice came out the little boy actor's lip-syncing mouth. I almost fell off my pew laughing.

Then it was Isaac's turn. His class item was a tambourine dance. I have never seen my son perform before and I thought he was brilliant. Swinging his tambourine in time to the music, and dancing in step with his classmates, wearing his shiny satin green shirt and white pants. Even the thought of spending $36 on a costume he would probably never wear again (unless shiny satin green tops come back in fashion), disappeared from my mind.

A few more classes performed and then it was time for the presentation ceremony. Class by class, the kids went up to the stage to get their certificate of kindergarten-ness, each dressed in their robe and mortarboard.

Isaac strode up confidently to get his cert and did a little curtsey to the audience. Then the class was presented to the audience and they came down the stage, two by two, to some classical music. It was like watching little Harry Potters graduating from Hogwarts.

Then the entire cohort (can you even call kindergarten kids a cohort?) gathered on stage and sang the finale songs, one in Chinese and one in English.

By then, I was too overwhelmed with emotion and had to choke back a tear. Sure it was an amusing and cute thing to watch. But two things struck me.

Firstly, this was a major milestone for my son. He was crossing over to a new phase of his life, to Primary school next, the world of homework and exams.

Secondly, it was particularly poignant for his mother and me, because this was the first time one of our kids have graduated from kindergarten.

I know what you are thinking. What about Faith, our eight-year-old? Ah, our Faith had her own special graduation at her Special School. Being autistic, she never went to a regular kindergarten and never will. Her graduation was special too, don't get me wrong. But my wife and I only saw a regular kindergarten graduation with our second-born. It took us eight years to see this, so it was very moving for us.

It also reminded me of my own kindergarten graduation. I had donned a robe and a mortarboard too, and had my photo taken when I was six. I am sure it is in the cupboard somewhere. That was to be the last time anyone ever saw me in such academic garb.

By the time we came out of the church, the rain had stopped. The waters had receded, and the night air was cool. I looked at my son, a kindergarten graduate, and smiled, wondering what was in store for him. Whatever it is, be it sun or rain, clear skies or flash floods, one thing is certain.

His family will be there for him.


About mrbrown
mrbrown aka Mr Kin Mun LEE is the accidental author of the popular Singapore website, mrbrown.com, and has been documenting the dysfunctional side of Singapore life since 1997.

Affectionately known as the Blogfather of Singapore, his readers follow his writings closely, which these days range from current affairs, his family, and even his trips abroad.

Currently, mrbrown also hosts the mrbrown show (mrbrownshow.com), probably Singapore's best known comedy and satire podcast.

mrbrown is married to Ginny, his long-suffering wife for 12 years, and is father to three lovely kids, Faith, Isaac and Joy.